Reading: inbox-outbox for 15 Nov

There is a book blog called Book Riot that does this cool weekly feature called “Inbox/Outbox.” The column, as described by them:

In Inbox/Outbox, we document the rhythm of readers’ lives by sharing books we acquired, books we finished, and the next books we plan to read each week.

I thought this was a pretty cool idea, and I wanted to give it a try… so, here goes…

Inbox (books acquired)

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Kindle) — This book is next up for my book club at work. I’ve been wanting to read it for a while and one of my friends just gave it a five star review on Goodreads. So, now I’m looking forward to it even more.

Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty by Christine Heppermann (used Hardcover) — This book has been getting a lot of good press and I wanted to check it out. The first three sentences of the book blurb had me hooked: “Every little girl goes through her princess phase, whether she wants to be Snow White or Cinderella, Belle or Ariel. But then we grow up. And life is not a fairy tale.”

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (Kindle) — I started this on a five hour plane ride to Atlanta, and then stayed up after dinner in the hotel to finish it, even though I had to be up early the next day. The romantic story arch is copied from Jane Austen’s Persuasion, but the story is set in a futuristic, sci-fi world. There are so many reasons I wanted to read this book, and it didn’t disappoint. I was impressed by how rich of a world the author created while still remaining true to the basic plot points of Persuasion. The characters were complex and well-developed, as well. I gave it four starts on Goodreads and will probably read the next, companion book (not a sequel, but set in the same world).

Queue (what I’m reading next)

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (Kindle) — I started this one on the plane ride home from Atlanta. I want to read it before I see the movie, but originally I bought it because, since I first heard of the PCT back in the early 2000s when I was living in Seattle, I have harbored a romantic desire to hike all or at least a significant part of it. Maybe someday… we’ll see how I feel after reading this book.

In other news, I’m still working hard on my NaNoWriMo story, but I’ve fallen far behind the word count par line. I’m about to start a writing blitz with the hope I’ll catch up by the end of the weekend. In addition to reading and a business trip, I’ve been distracted by two TV series on Netflix: The 100 and The Bletchley Circle.